Sunday, September 25, 2011

One item we do not find in Florida and I have never found before is a tri-tip roast. My California and West Coast bloggers mention it often. I have longed for it for years. A trip to our Missoula, Montana, Costco, brought us face-to-face with tri-tip roasts. Of course, I remembered Debbie at A Feast for the Eyes. We had it twice this summer and enjoyed it tremendously. I am now wondering what kind of response I will get from my Florida butchers when I ask for a tri-tip roast. We loved it!!!

I followed Debby's recipe quite closely, and we absolutely loved it!! Check out Debby here.

Pat dry the roast and poke 20 times on each side with a fork. Combine garlic, oil and salt. Cover with plastic and refrigerate 1-24 hours.

Soak wood chips (we used alder and cherry). Heat your charcoal briquet's on one side of the grill.

Wipe the garlic off the roast and rub with pepper and garlic salt.

Grill over the coals for 5 minutes on each side. Scatter wet wood chips over the coals. On the cooler side of the grill...the one without wood chips, place the roast. Cover the grill and cook for 20 minutes. DELICIOUS!!!

Of course, to go with a fantastic main dish like this, you need a great wine.

This Genesis 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon was excellent. It was rich and complex with bright berry and cherry flavors and hints of clove, cinnamon and cocoa. It was a well-enjoyed meal with a baked red sweet potato and a salad. It was also a well-enjoyed meal after the Trout's surgery and his temporary loss of taste. I think we are back on track.

When we visited cousins in San Luis Obispo in California we were served Tri-tip and I'd never before heard of it. It's not a popular cut here, and I don't know why not because it was fantastic. I have a local butcher who will cut it for me and it's a special treat for us now.

Ah, cooked to perfection Susan. I've never found a tri-tip in Florida or North Carolina. Perhaps they call is something else, I don't know. But it is frustrating not to be able to find a particular cut of meat.

Hope the Trout continues to be better each day. I suppose you'll be heading home soon.Sam

n much of Europe the tri-tip is usually sliced into steaks. In France the tri-tip is called aiguillette baronne and is left whole as a roast.[3] In northern Germany, it is called Bürgermeisterstück or Pastorenstück, in Austria Hüferschwanzel, and in southern Germany it is called the same name as the traditional and popular Bavarian and Austrian dish "Tafelspitz", which serves it boiled with horseradish. In Spain, it is often grilled whole and called the "rabillo de cadera". In Central America, this cut is also usually grilled in its entirety, and is known as punta de Solomo, and in South America, it is grilled as part of the Argentine asado and is known as colita de cuadril, in Chile is a popular roast called "punta de picana", in Mexico it is known as picaña, in Colombian cuisine it is a popular cut for grilled steaks and is known as punta de anca, in Venezuela is know as "punta trasera" and in Brazil it is a common cut for the traditional Brazilian churrasco and is known as maminha. As the meat itself is very lean, it needs to be cooked with the layer of pure fat attached to it.This cut is very versatile in how it can be prepared. The traditional Santa Maria style of cooking is barbecuing at low heat over a red oak pit but the tri-tip can be slow-smoked, marinated or seasoned with a dry rub. It is cooked over high heat on a grill, on a rotisserie, or in an oven. After cooking, the meat is normally sliced across the grain before serving.[4]In the U.S., the tri-tip has the meat-cutting classification NAMP 185D.[1]

One of our favorite cuts of meat, Susan! It sounds like you have a nice recipe there. We also like a light coating of evoo and a dry rub with some extra black pepper, grilled on high so all the juices inside. And what is great is that it slices nicely for a lunch the following day.

So happy to hear you and the Trout had a wonderful dinner and wine to celebrate.

I found a tri-tip at Walmart last month - we enjoyed it as well. You can print out this picture and take it to your FL butcher just in case he's never heard of it (but I bet he has :) http://op-for.com/tri-tip.gif

I am catching up here Susan. My Sept.has been a month long house full of visitors. Hope the Trout is doing better and that you can return to Florida soon. We need to get those Publix butchers to offer Tri tip roasts. It sounds great.